


Steggy Drabbles

by caseraphs



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-20 09:25:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 12,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6000784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caseraphs/pseuds/caseraphs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steggy Drabbles, all separate from each other.  Not continuous story.  Some will have prompts (quotes, single words, holidays, etc.).  Others will have no prompts and will just come from my own ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Marry Me?"

Steve was having those dreams again. Ever since his defrosting, if he thought too much about the way things used to be, he’d start dreaming.

They were vivid and terrible. Parodies of his old life. Sometimes he would watch Peggy dance with another man behind a thick panel of glass, which he couldn’t break no matter how hard he hit it. Other times, he would be young and innocent, playing with Bucky, who had a metal arm and a black mask. He woke up in his apartment one night after a particularly bad one.

He walked to his kitchen and got a glass of water, shaking from the terror he had dreamed. Valentine’s Day was coming up. As Steve sat down at his kitchen table in the dark, he remembered the last Valentine’s Day he had experienced before going into the ice.

 

It was 1944. Despite the way films depicted them these days, war times did get slow occasionally. The entire unit was in London for Valentine’s Day, bored and without much to do in the way of taking down Hydra. Peggy, Steve, and the Commandos were sitting around the map, not saying much. They had already figured out a plan of attack for the next Hydra base, but they couldn’t get to it for another few weeks. 

“This is dreadfully boring,” Peggy finally said. “Why don’t we go out to a bar or something?” The rest of the men agreed immediately, standing up and putting on their coats. Peggy winked at Steve, and Bucky nudged him.

“It’s Valentine’s Day, man. If there were ever a time to make it happen,” Bucky said, so only Steve could hear. He ignored the comment and jogged to catch up with Peggy, who was holding the door open for him. Technically, they weren’t really seeing each other. It was war; there’d be time for that after. At least, that’s what Peggy liked to say when Steve brought it up. Either way, things had been heating up between them for a while, and everyone knew.

“Going to get drunk tonight, Peg?” Steve asked as they began walking, backs against the wind.

“Who knows? I always thought Valentine’s Day was such a boring holiday. At least getting drunk would speed it up a bit,” Peggy replied, smiling at him. He felt his heart skip a beat. She generally had that effect.

“Well maybe we could, I don’t know… Do something different? Just us? Like, uh, maybe, you know…” Steve trailed off, staring at Peggy intently. She looked at him for a second, then rolled her eyes.

“Are you asking me on a date, Steve Rogers?”

“Well, uh… You know, unless you think that’s stupid, in which case we don’t have to,” Steve said, his face heating. She always got the upper hand with him, no matter what. It was infuriating and wonderful.

“Okay, Rogers, here’s the deal. Drinking competition. If you win, we go on a date tomorrow night. If I win, you pay for my drinks for the next three months,” she replied. Steve grinned and agreed. They shook on it, and he swore he felt her hold on for just a few moments longer than normal.

The bar they went to was crowded. Peggy made a beeline for a booth in the corner, while Steve went up to the counter and had the barkeep take down two bottles of Bourbon. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Looking back on it now, Steve supposed it was a little unfair to never mention to Peggy that he couldn’t actually get drunk. Knowing her, though, she probably would’ve tried to beat him anyway. He slid into the low-lit booth right next to her, pressing his thigh against hers. She rolled her eyes again, but didn’t move away. A few more Commandos squeezed in on either side of them, but ordered their own drinks. Peggy cracked open the first bottle and clinked her glass against Steve’s.

“To eternal love, the Allies, and to poor Steve Rogers, who is about to get beat to Hell by yours truly,” she announced, knocking it back. Steve chuckled and swallowed his as well. Bourbon wasn’t his favorite, but it was a lot easier to drink when it had no effect on him whatsoever.

They continued like this for a while. As the night wore on, and they started to get deeper into their drinks, Peggy became giggly and loose. Steve, as he knew would happen, stayed the same. By the time they were finished with the first bottle, Peggy was draped across Steve, planting a kiss on his cheek before each shot.

“Steve, you can reeeeaally hold your liquor,” she commented, moving back and looking at him suspiciously. Bucky, who was on Steve’s other side, knew he couldn’t get drunk. The other Commandos were either dancing with lonely women or sitting at the table, rambling on drunkenly to each other. Bucky, however, was at Steve’s side, laughing with him at Peggy.

Halfway through the second bottle, Peggy seemed closer than ever to giving up. She reached up and pulled Steve’s chin until he was facing her head on. Although she was seriously drunk, she all of a sudden looked like she had something important to say.

“Steve.”

“Yeah, Peg?”

“I have to ask you– hic! –something important,” she turned her glass upside down on the table, and Steve was sure she had figured out by now that he couldn’t get drunk.

“Alright.”

“Will you…” Her face was red, and she put it in her hands, declining to go on.

“Peggy, what? What is it?” Steve pried her hands away from her face, and Bucky laughed so hard he nearly fell out of the booth.

“Marry me?” She blurted, reaching over and planting a kiss on Steve’s mouth before he could reply. 

“Oh my god, Steve! She is so sauced!” Bucky laughed. Steve felt his face go red as Peggy slid out of the booth and went to the bathroom, presumably to throw up. After that, the night began to wind down, and those who didn’t have dates returned to the base. Steve practically had to carry Peggy. 

The next morning, Steve went to check on Peggy before breakfast. She was lying in her bed, groaning.

“Hey, Peg, how ya feeling?” He asked as he walked in, turning on the light.

“Ugh, turn that off, Steve,” she mumbled, putting a pillow over her face. “Get out of here, I’m in my pajamas.”

“I was just wondering where you want to go to dinner tonight?” Steve asked, grinning as he switched off the light. Peggy threw the pillow at him and sat up a little.

“Steve, how in the hell did you beat me in a drinking contest? That hasn’t happened to me in forever!” She complained as he walked over and sat next to her on the bed.

“Well, what do you remember?” He asked, a little nervous. If she remembered asking him to marry her, this might get awkward.

“Not much. All I remember is you being totally unaffected no matter how much you drank. And… I think… Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t ask you to marry me!” She looked at him in horror. He couldn’t help himself from laughing now. She shoved him hard, so he nearly fell off the bed.

“Aw, it’s okay, Peggy. We don’t have to get married right away. What do you say to a June wedding?”

“Wait a second… Can you even get drunk?!” He laughed harder as she got up out of bed and began beating him with her pillow. 

“No, I can’t. But you sure as hell can,” Steve replied as they both laughed, pulling her down onto the floor and kissing her softly.

 

Steve sighed, looking out his window into the early morning gray. He tried not to think of his recent dream, but still the images were relentless: blood red diamonds, eyes barely visible through smoke, and a smashed bottle of Bourbon.


	2. “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

Steve was adamant about not having Peggy on the battlefield. Unfortunately, as time went on and she grew more and more stubborn, Peggy was adamant about the opposite.

The Howling Commandos were planning on taking down one of the larger Hydra bases when Steve finally broke.

“Fine, Peggy. You can come out into the field with us. But I’m begging you to please not get hurt,” he said as he zipped up his uniform. When he glanced at Peggy, who was lacing up her shoes, he could see her rolling her eyes.

“As if your approval dictates my actions, Captain. Honestly,” she said as she breezed past him, tucking a gun into her belt. Steve shrugged, knowing it was true. He at least hoped she would be careful.

They were coming in on foot, as they usually did. It was much stealthier that way. Everyone had their own job. Cap led them, as Bucky and a few other snipers branched off to find hidden spots in the trees. Dernier walked closer to the road, preparing to stick a bomb underneath Hydra’s cars as they rode in and out of the base. Peggy walked next to Steve, and he caught himself holding his shield in front of her as well. Every few minutes, she would push it away and shake her head at him.

As they approached the gate of the Hydra base, the last of the Howling Commandos dispersed, still hidden. Steve and Peggy walked slowly forward until they left the cover of the trees. The guards were all shot down by snipers before they had a chance to sound the alarm. Except for one, who Peggy took out herself.

“Good work,” Steve said as he pushed the gates open. As usual, the courtyard looked more like an arsenal than anything else. The fighting began, and Steve had to admit he and Peggy made a great team. She was an excellent shot, and always knew the right time to either duck or run. Taking down the base was a lot easier than they thought it’d be.

Pretty soon, most of the Commandos were in the control room, perusing and collecting the various maps and plans they found. Peggy and Bucky had been securing the perimeter together when they got ready to leave. Steve turned a corner as he walked down the main hallway, leading the others, and saw Peggy walking at him from the other direction. He couldn’t help but grin at her, and she smiled right back, her lips forming his name.

The next few moments appeared to happen in slow motion. Peggy’s smile was seared into Steve’s brain, and it was all he saw, until he detected movement behind her. As he started to yell for her to turn around, the man who had been skulking in a nearby corridor shot her directly in the back. Steve rushed up to her as she began to fall, the smile fading from her face. He threw his shield at the man, who went down quickly. Peggy lay in his arms, looking up at him with pain in her eyes.

“Steve…” she mumbled, then lost consciousness. By the time they got her back to the base, she had lost a fair amount of blood. There was an air of sadness and guilt in the air, rather than the happiness that usually surrounded taking down a base as big as that one.

Steve carried Peggy to the medical tent, where they performed emergency surgery on her. It took 6 men to restrain him from going in there while they had her cut open on the table. He felt himself screaming at them, but it was as if he was seeing the situation unfold through a telescope. Certainly, someone was shouting, “DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? IT’S MY FAULT! LET ME SEE HER! LET ME GO, DAMMIT!” but he couldn’t tell who it was.

It was nightfall before they let him visit her. She had an IV, and a heart rate monitor, and all sorts of other things attached to her that he didn’t understand. But she was alive, which was all that mattered. Around 3 am, Peggy started to come out of it a little. She looked around, and, upon seeing Steve, smiled and lay her head back on the pillow.

“What on earth happened?” She whispered, wincing as she tried to adjust her position.

“You were shot, Peg.”

“Really? Who shot me?”

“Some Hydra guy who was hiding during your perimeter. We were just about to leave when he came up behind you and shot you in the back. You fainted…straight into my arms,” Steve explained. He smiled a little. “You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” 

Peggy laughed, then winced at the pain again. Steve blinked back tears, surprised at himself.

“I really thought I lost you there, Peg,” he murmured, reaching for her hand. She gripped his tight, as if to show that she was still strong.

“You can’t get rid of me that easy, Steve,” she replied. “But for now, you should run off to bed. You look terrible.” He agreed, although he knew already there was no chance he would be able to sleep. As he turned to go, he felt Peggy still holding his hand tight.

Turning around, Steve looked at her, and could tell how afraid she was. He didn’t know what to say, so he leaned down and kissed her. She curled her fingers into his hair, unwilling to let him go.

“Stay with me,” Peggy whispered.

“Of course. Anything for my best girl,” he said against her lips, kissing her softly and sitting back down next to her bed, ready to stay by her side forever.


	3. The Stork Club

Peggy didn’t have a place yet.  After the unofficial end of the war, she had hopped on the first flight to New York.  It was Saturday, and her wartime clothes were strewn around the small room, and she knew she had to get ready.  Although, deeper down, she knew she didn’t.

Ever since she was young, Peggy had had a strange grip on time.  Some moments felt fast, and others were slow.  This past week, she felt simultaneously as though she was moving underwater and as though things were speeding past her at an alarming rate.  She remembered when her brother Michael died.  How it seemed to take two weeks to pack her suitcase.  How laying down her engagement ring on the dresser felt like a year.

Peggy forced herself to complete her usual beauty routine.  It felt robotic and quick.  The time was slipping through her fingers like expensive silk as she brushed on mascara and put her hair into curlers.  The hotel bathroom was small and white.  Everything was pristine and porcelain.  Peggy reached down and plucked a long, curly brown hair off of the sink.  Her fingers left a smudge on the white.

She very rarely dressed up.  But the war was over.  They would be celebrating, and going to a fancy club to dance their hearts out.  So, Peggy picked out the red dress she wore the night Steve came back with the Howling Commandos.  Time slowed down a bit as she stood in the middle of the dark, untidy room and zipped herself up.  She slipped her feet into the red heels and checked the clock.  It was nearly 6.  She wanted to get there early, just in case Steve was waiting.

Peggy hailed a taxi.  Outside, it was cold.  The wind whipped around her, but Peggy hardly noticed.  Time was slowing down even more now.  It was like molasses as she got into the cab, watching as her feet left the pavement in slow motion and tucked themselves into the warm car.

“Where to, ma’am?” The cabbie asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.  His eyes were dark brown, like her own.  She smiled at the thought.

“The Stork Club,” she heard herself say slowly.  Peggy could almost count every turn of the wheels as they moved through town.  By the time they reached the Stork Club, it was a little past 6:30.

“Thank you, sir,” she said to the driver, handing him her fare and stepping out.  The Stork Club had quite a crowd outside.  It _was_ a Saturday night.  And they had just won the war.  Peggy flashed a smile at the man by the door, and he let her in.  

Inside, it was noisy and crowded.   Peggy scanned the tables and chairs for Steve.  She made a beeline for the bar and sat down on the only vacant stool.  The man next to her offered to buy her a drink.

“I’m waiting for someone,” she replied, far away.  The bartender asked her what she wanted.  “Whiskey, please.  Lots of it.”

She wondered where Steve was right now.  Probably deep in the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by fishes.  Maybe they were eating his eyes out.  She felt her stomach churn unpleasantly as she thought of him like that.  Dead, alone, in the dark.  She knocked back the whiskey and signaled the barkeep to fill it up again.

It was 7:06.  He was late.  Peggy smiled into her glass as she imagined being able to say that to him.   _“You’re late,”_ she would say.   _“I was a little preoccupied,”_ he would reply.  And they would dance.   _They would have them play something slow…_

Peggy watched the couples dance on the floor to a fast, upbeat song.  Everyone was feeling it these days.  They wanted to hear something fast and happy because their men had all returned from war.  Time sped up.  As it always did in times like these.

Soon, it was 9 o’clock.  Steve was very late now.  She might even ignore his request for a dance if he showed up at this hour.  How long did he expect her to wait for a dance?  How long did he expect her to wait for him?

The bartender cut her off at 6 drinks.  Peggy could hold her liquor.  This, she knew.  But she also knew that she was well and truly sauced when he stopped serving her.  Now that she was drunk, she had no luck of controlling how quickly the moments slipped by.  She waited, sitting at the bar with her legs crossed and a crack in her chest.  It had been there since he’d said those words.   _I gotta put her in the water…_

At midnight, couples started to leave.  They were tired from all the dancing, and some were drunk, and they had each other to fall asleep next to at night.  They would never run out of time like Peggy and Steve.  The women out dancing tonight were the lucky ones.  Their men returned from war, and that felt like a promise to stay around for the rest of their lives.

Time slowed down again.  Even the most dedicated dancers, even the most in-love couples got tired and went home or took a seat.  Peggy had a lump in her throat.  Steve had to be here.  She didn’t even mind that he was late.  Maybe it was better this way.  They could have the floor all to themselves.  They could have the band play something slow all night long, until they were kicked out.  And then they’d dance in the streets.  Who would care?  There’d be no sense of urgency.  The war was over.  Time would expand in front of them like a very long book you never wanted to put down.

As the final people began to get up and leave, paying the barkeep or tipping the band, Peggy felt a tear hit the back of her hand.  She was crying here, in the middle of the Stork Club, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

“You still waiting for someone?” The barkeeper asked softly.  Peggy looked up at him, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“Yes.  He’ll be here.  I know he will,” she said, although she knew he wouldn’t.

“Miss, we’re about to close up,” he said gently, setting a bill down in front of her.

“What time is it?”

“Nearly 2 in the morning, ma’am,” he told her, drying a glass and watching her carefully.  Peggy was aware that her tears were dripping on the bill.  She couldn’t see the total anymore.  The ink smudged as she brought out her purse and put a random amount of money on top of it, pushing the paper towards the man.

“Can you… Can you ask the band to play something slow?” She asked, tears rolling down her face freely now.  He nodded, smiling at her softly and signaling to the band members, who were packing up their instruments, to play one more song.

For once, time moved slowly when Peggy wanted it to.  The song seemed to draw out for hours as she sat there, crying, the only one left in the whole club.  As long as it was still tonight…  As long as she was still here…  He could show up at any second.  Peggy closed her eyes, imagining Steve holding her and dancing her around the floor slowly.   _I’d hate to step on your toes…_

“Just be here,” she whispered as the song drew to a close.  She opened her eyes.  The Stork Club was still empty as Peggy stood up and straightened out her dress.  She thanked the band as she walked out into the frigid night air.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Time slowed and nearly stopped.  Peggy felt herself turn in slow motion towards the sound of the voice, which was behind her.  She was speaking before she even saw him.

“Couldn’t call your ride?” She asked.  Steve opened his arms, and she fell into them.  Time stopped.


	4. "I've been in love with you my entire life."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the quote prompt above :)

It was two days after Peggy’s funeral when Steve received the letter.  

It had been a hard week.  Just before she died, the people at the home where she stayed called him and said she’d been asking for him.  When he showed up, she was surrounded by family.  Her children, grandchildren, and even some great-grandchildren toddling around.  As he walked in the door, Peggy had beckoned for him.  He sat down at her side and held her hand.  He seemed to be the only person she remembered.  

Late that night, she died.  And that was that.  Her children took care of the funeral arrangements.  Steve was to be a pallbearer.  Since then, he hadn’t done much besides walk around alone and think of Peggy.  

He almost didn’t check his mail, because what was the point?  But, he did.  And in the mail, there was an envelope with his name on it.  The name was handwritten, but the address looked typed.  The SHIELD emblem was in the top left corner.  Steve sat down at the small table in his kitchen to read the letter.  He had a bottle of brandy next to him, even though he couldn’t technically get drunk.  It was nice to pretend.  

Steve opened the letter and immediately noticed the heavy, thick stationary.  It was clearly a bit old.  Tears blurred his vision as he slowly unfolded the paper to find Peggy’s beautiful, curvy handwriting dancing across the page.  He poured himself a drink, drained it, and began to read.

_Dear Steve,_

_I am writing you this letter in 2010.  As of now, I am 89 years old.  Can you believe it?  For you to die so young, and for me to live to be so old.  If there is a God, he has a cruel sense of humor._

_I am writing you because the doctors say that my mind is beginning to go.  I know you don’t know what that’s like, since you’re dead and have been for over 60 years, but it is terrible.  My mind has always been, in my opinion, the best thing about me.  And now I am beginning to lose it._

_After you died, Steve, I thought a lot about you and what you would have wanted.  I had my fair share of adventures, and accomplished quite a bit as well.  I even married, though I kept my maiden name.  I liked to think it was because I was a proud woman who loved herself too much to give that part of herself away.  And maybe that’s true.  But I also knew if you ever came back, if you ever looked for me, I’d be easier to find as Peggy Carter.  I’ve never been one to let things go.  Even then, I expected that you would be one of those things._

_There is a vivid and wonderful memory I still have of you.  It was early 1945, and you and I were lying in bed.  We were on an unofficial leave of sorts.  In some hotel, which I have since forgotten the name of.  It was very late, and I was a bit tipsy.  We were just lying there, talking about things, falling asleep in each other’s arms.  After all these years, it is still my fondest memory.  I remember I was just closing my eyes, drifting asleep, when I heard you say, “I love you.”  I said it back, but you continued._

_“I’ve been in love with you my entire life,” you said.  And I remember how strange I thought that was, because we had only known each other for two years.  
_

_“What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up to look at you.  You had a silly smile on your face, and you were nearly asleep.  
_

_“I mean, long before I met you, long before I even knew what love was, I loved you.  And I think I will love you forever.  In a million lifetimes, in every possible universe, I will love you.  I’ve been in love with you my entire life, and I know that I always will be,” you explained.  I didn’t say anything, and we both quickly fell asleep.  It seems insignificant, and I doubt if you would even remember it.  But the memory has always stayed in my mind, even as I sit here and lose it.  
_

_I never believed much in fate.  As a woman in a man’s world with a brother who died in a senseless war, I had trouble believing that anything controlled my destiny besides me.  But when I met you, things felt very right.  Even after I have married, and lived a long, happy life with my children and husband, I know that you and I were meant to be together._

_I’ve been in love with you my entire life, even though you are long dead.  I think that, even as I lay dying, I will look around at my family and know in my heart that you are the person I have missed and will miss the most.  So, I am writing you this letter, and I am not sending it, because you are dead.  But I know that fate will bring us back together someday, and maybe we can have that dance._

_Always,_

_Peggy_


	5. “It’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong.”

It started innocently enough.  One day, Peggy was running around like crazy looking for her shoe.

“It’s under the bed,” Steve said casually, buckling his belt.  He knew it was, but Peggy rolled her eyes, completely unbelieving.  “What? It is!”

“Steve, I don’t think that in my moment of impaired judgement I would’ve gone so crazy as to somehow take my shoe off and put it under the bed.  Don’t flatter yourself,” she argued, looking in the bathroom.  Steve walked over to the bed, looked under it, and pulled out her shoe.

“You’re welcome.”  Peggy blushed and snatched the shoe from his hand.

“How did you even know that was there?” She asked, putting it on.

“Just a feeling.  Besides, it’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong,” he joked, winking at her.  Peggy did not like this at all.  She huffed around and didn’t speak to him for hours.

The next day, Steve accidentally called one of his men by the wrong last name.  Peggy swooped in quickly, before the man himself had time to correct Steve.

“Actually, his name’s Trent!” She said, grinning madly.

“My mistake,” Steve replied, smiling apologetically at Trent.

“Oh, it’s not a big deal, Rogers.  It’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong,” Peggy quipped, patting him hard on the back and walking away as the men laughed at Steve.

So it began.

Over the next few weeks, Peggy and Steve looked for reasons constantly to trip each other up.  Peggy got particularly angry with him once after she mistakenly put a Hydra flag on Vienna instead of Berlin.  Steve was laughing so hard they had to be escorted out of the tent.

Their competition lasted for months, neither of them willing to give it up.  It actually never ended.  Because Steve went into the ice.

After his defrosting, Steve went to visit Peggy a lot.  He knew the drill by now.  Her mind was going, so she would have small moments of clarity, but it was common to lose her in the middle of a conversation.  They had been talking like usual when he looked back at her and could tell she had lost everything.

“Steve?” Peggy looked at him exactly like she did the first time she saw him after coming out of the ice.  Like she hadn’t seen him in 70 years.

“Yeah,” he felt his heart break as he prepared to go through this with her for what felt like the hundredth time.

“You’re alive…  You…  You came back,” She gasped, near tears.

“Yeah, Peggy,” Steve replied, trying not to cry himself.

“It’s been so long.  So long,” Peggy cried.

“Well, I couldn’t leave my best girl.  Not when she owes me a dance,” Steve whispered, gripping her hand.

“I thought you were dead.  All this time, Steve…” She trailed off, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Well, it is a hobby of mine to prove you wrong,” Steve said.  He tried to force a smile.  Peggy’s eyes seemed to flicker with recognition, but it happened so quickly he might have imagined it.


	6. “I may be an idiot but I’m your idiot."

Steve woke up.  His head was pounding like crazy, his mouth was dry, and there were bright white lights shining in his face.  He groaned and tried to sit up, but someone shoved him back down.

“Hey, he’s waking up!” Someone called.  Steve tried to shut his eyes, but the lights were too bright.

“Cap?”  Steve groaned and opened his eyes.  There were a few men in white coats around him, and Dugan, who had called for him.

“What happened?” Steve croaked as the men around him helped him sit up.

“You were shot, Cap.  Right in the chest.  Y’almost died,” Dugan said.  There was a lot of noise around him.  A nurse slipped a cuff around his arm and started to take his blood pressure as things started to come back.

They were out on a mission…  Steve had lost his shield early on, but wanted to finish the mission.  He and the Commandos were nearly done taking down the Hydra base when he was attacked…  He remembered feeling flattened, like he had been run over by a train.  After that, it was all a blur.

“Don’t worry, Captain Rogers.  You’re in good hands here–” One of the doctors began.  Suddenly, the men all stopped cold and looked around.  They looked terrified.

“What?  What is it?” Steve asked, trying to sit up further and wincing at the pull of his stitches.

“ _Where is he?_ ” He heard. 

Uh oh.

The doctors and Commandos who had gathered around him couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.  Peggy walked up, nearly bowling over the nurse who had just finished taking Steve’s blood pressure.

“ _Steven Rogers!”_ Peggy nearly yelled in his face.  He smiled at her, terrified.

“Hi there,” he replied.  She stood next to him, fuming.  The entire medical tent was dead silent.

“You.  Almost.  Died,” she said through her teeth.  Although she was clearly angry, Steve could tell that she had been crying.

“I’m sorry about that, Peg,” he replied, reaching for her hand.  She jerked her hand back and tried to blink away tears.

“You’re a bloody idiot, you know that?” She asked, her voice shaking.

“I may be an idiot, but I’m your idiot,” Steve said softly.  Peggy glared at him through her tears, which were falling freely now.  “C’mere.”  Steve held out his arm.  

Peggy hugged him tight, so tight that Steve winced at the pull of his stitches again.

“You really scared me,” she whispered into his shoulder.

“I know, Peg.  I’m sorry,” he whispered back.  Peggy finally let go to look at him.  She smiled a little and swept her hair out of her face.

“Next time you almost die, I might actually kill you.”  Steve smiled and Peggy leaned in, kissing him softly.


	7. “It’s OK baby, I’m here for you.” (Domestic/Pregnancy!AU)

It was Christmas 1948 when Peggy surprised Steve with the news that they were to have a baby.  They’d been married for two years, and trying for one, when finally she announced that there was officially a little one on the way.  Steve had been so happy.  

Now, it was late summer of 1949.  Although they both technically worked for SHIELD, Peggy hadn’t been to work for a few weeks.  She was so pregnant, she seemed ready to pop.  And the men at the office weren’t having it.  Steve knew that she hated staying home all day doing nothing while he got to go out and work, but she needed rest.  She was due any day now.

It was around 7 o’clock when Steve finally got home, a little later than usual.  He had been writing up a report for a mission they had just completed, and time got away from him.

“Peggy?” He called as he stepped in the door.  No answer.  Steve paused at the threshold, listening for her.  He heard a faint sound coming from their bedroom, so he closed the door behind him and made his way down the hall.  Their bedroom was at the end on the left.  Before he reached it, he walked past the nursery they had just painted together.  The soft yellow walls and small white crib were ready for the baby, who was meant to come soon.

“Steve!” Peggy was sitting up in the bed.  Steve could tell immediately that she was in pain.  Her face was scrunched up and she was clutching her belly.  “The baby… is… coming!”

Steve rushed in and picked her up off the bed, carrying her through the house.  Her legs were wet, which meant that her water had broken.

“I can walk,” Peggy protested.  She shouted involuntarily as another contraction rolled over her.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Steve asked, slamming the front door open so hard it broke off its hinges.  He didn’t bother to close it, and ran out to the car with Peggy in his arms.  She had an arm draped around his neck as he placed her lightly in the passenger seat and kissed her on the cheek.

“When I called, they said…  you had already left!” She gasped and groaned.  Steve buckled himself in and started driving.  He drove like a maniac, swerving this way and that to pass cars that were moving more slowly.  When they got to the emergency room, he parked in the ambulance parking, got out, and picked Peggy up out of her seat before she could protest.  He burst through the double doors and began shouting.

“My wife is in labor!  Help!”  The doctors came in and tried to whisk her away from him, but Peggy grabbed Steve’s tie hard and wouldn’t let go when they lay her on a gurney.

“Steve, don’t leave! Please!” She said.  Nurses were trying to separate them, but he wouldn’t leave her side.

“It’s OK, baby.  I’m here for you,” he replied breathlessly, moving along with them and ignoring people who tried to stop him from following.

They burst into the delivery room, a whirlwind of questions and answers being flung by doctors.  Peggy screamed and squeezed Steve’s hand so hard he thought it might break.  After 19 hours of labor, their baby was finally born.

“It’s a girl!” The doctor proclaimed, showing Steve the small, squirming baby before taking her away to be cleaned.  Peggy rested her head on her pillow, smiling.  She was sweaty, tired, and disheveled, but she had never looked more beautiful.

The doctor came over and handed Steve the baby first while they helped Peggy get cleaned up.  She was tiny and warm in his arms.

“Oh, Peggy.  She’s perfect,” Steve whispered.  Peggy reached out her arms and he handed her their child, kissing her on the forehead softly.  “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m so proud of us,” Peggy replied, smiling up at him with tears in her eyes.


	8. “I’m tired of being your secret.”

Steve was not a hateful person.  He could honestly say the only two things he well and truly hated were snowy mountains and fighting with Peggy.  Ever since Bucky’s death, the former was too painful to dwell on.  The latter, however, was just really terrible.

It was late.  They were both tired of it all, but as was customary with Peggy, someone had to come out on top.  And it always had to be her.

“I’m just saying, Steve.  You don’t understand what it’s like to be in my position,” She snapped.  They were fighting in an empty strategy tent on the base.  Neither of them spoke above a loud whisper to avoid being heard.

“Peggy, I get it.  You’re worried about your position in this operation.  Well, I’m worried about _us_.  I’m tired of being your secret.  I’m tired of sneaking around like this all the time because you think you’re going to get some sort of dishonorable discharge!  Which isn’t even going to happen!” Steve almost yelled.  Peggy glared at him.  Hard.  He wasn’t supposed to be talking this loud, but it was impossible to have a conversation like this in hushed tones. 

“Easy for you to say.  You were denied a spot in the army because you were small.  I was denied because I was a woman.  Now you’re big.  Well, guess what?  I’m still a woman!  I have been and will be on thin ice until the war ends!” She said back, trying not to raise her voice and failing.

“I just don’t see how we can expect to continue this relationship if we can never be public about it.” Steve sat down at a table covered by a map of Europe.  Peggy sat across from him, on the opposite side.  Over 10 feet away.

“We can be public with it _after_ the war!”

“No!” Steve heard himself yell.  He slammed his fist down on the table, and a crack formed in the wood.  Peggy sat back and crossed her arms, saying nothing.  Steve sighed.  

“I just mean…  I don’t want to wait, Peggy.  I’m in love with you, and I don’t care who knows it.  Please, let’s not fight.  We can talk about this in the morning,” he offered, standing up.  She looked away.

“If you’re not okay with keeping us a secret, then maybe we should just separate until it’s safe for both of us to be in a public relationship,” she nearly whispered.  Steve felt anger and hurt bubble up inside him.  He tried to catch her eye, but she was purposely evading his stare.  

He stomped out of the tent into the night.  It was raining pretty heavily.  If Peggy wanted to break up, then so be it.  Steve wouldn’t be the one running back to her when all of this was over.  He walked into the quarters, the sound of snores and even breathing filling his ears.  He slid into his own bunk, too angry to sleep.

At some point, he must’ve fallen asleep, because next thing he knew, he was being woken up.  It was still dark.  There was someone standing in front of him.

“Steve,” Peggy whispered.  She knelt down so she could look him in the eyes.  Hers were glassy.  “I’m sorry.  Can I sleep with you tonight?”  

Steve nodded slowly, unaware of what this meant for them.  Peggy climbed up over him and lay down on the side of his bunk that was closest to the wall, facing him.  

“I love you,” she murmured in the darkness, turning around so Steve could wrap his arms around her and envelop her body with his.

“I love you, too.”


	9. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Peggy was standing on a dirt path. Next to her, a flag pole with no flag at the top. She wondered idly where she was, then it slowly came to her. This was Camp Lehigh, from her days in World War II. It was where she met Steve.

“Peggy.” She turned around. He was standing behind her. He seemed to be out of the wrong time here. He wore his SSR uniform, and he was big instead of small. “Walk with me,” he seemed to say without speaking. She smiled and took his hand, walking slowly down the dirt path.

Suddenly, they were in a church, standing at the altar. Peggy was in a long white dress. Steve hadn’t changed. Michael was sitting in the pews amongst her family and friends. Bucky was there, too. People Peggy knew and loved, and people who she knew had died. The priest looked to Peggy for the go ahead, and she nodded and smiled. Steve was holding both of her hands.

“I do.”

“I do.”

“You may now kiss the bride.”

The scene evaporated, and Peggy was standing in front of her childhood home in the country. It looked newer somehow. Brighter. Steve took her hand again and smiled, beckoning her.

“Let’s go inside, darling,” he said, and she followed. Suddenly, they were standing in the parlor. There were hundreds of pictures around them.

“Who are these people?” Peggy asked, picking up a frame that had a family of 5 in it. She was there, she realized. Everyone else in the picture did not have a face.

“That’s our family, Peggy. Me, you, and the kids,” Steve replied. As Peggy turned to look at him, the scenery changed again. They were on a dance floor, and they were moving in slow motion. Steve twirled her around and, as he hugged her close, he leaned in to kiss her. Just as their lips touched, everything went up in smoke. 

Peggy bolted up in bed. She was covered in sweat, and when she felt her face, she realized she had been crying. The place next to her in bed seemed unusually cold and empty. As if someone had just been lying there, sleeping beside her, and had moved away the moment she woke up. It was July 4th, 1946. Today was supposed to be Steve’s 26th birthday.


	10. "You came back."

Steve visited Peggy every day. Back when she was in hospice care, he would only come once a week. He was busier then, and even though she had been running out of time, it still seemed like there was enough left of it. In the months since her funeral, he found it nearly impossible to stay away from her grave for too long.

The headstone was beautiful. It was sturdy, strong, and elegant. Just like her. It read:

“Margaret Elizabeth Carter

Beloved friend, wife, and mother

1921 - 2016″

Each day, Steve would bring with him a single flower. Whatever was in season. He’d lay it in front of the stone, and sit. He’d tell her about things, or sometimes he’d ask her things. The conversations were a bit one-sided. But that didn’t matter. She had probably done a lot of this after he died, too.

Three months after her death, Steve visited Peggy on a particularly rainy day. He placed a rose at the base of the headstone and didn’t speak for a time. Some days, he knew what to say. Others, it took longer. Finally, he remembered one of their last conversations. Steve cleared his throat and began.

“You know, Peg, for the longest time, I would come to visit you in that hospice center where you lived out your last days. It never felt right, having you in a place like that. You were always the strongest woman I knew. 

Of course, I only got around to visiting you after you started to lose yourself to dementia. It was unbelievably painful to be talking with you and see your face go blank for a moment. Then, you’d fill with wonder. Happiness. Sorrow. No matter how many times I visited you, it was always the same. You’d see me and you’d say ‘You came back.’ Just like that. It was so sad, I found myself near tears. Every time. 

You told me a lot of your life, when you were still alive. You told me of your adventures in the SSR, and, later, SHIELD. You even told me about your husband, and your kids, and all they had accomplished as well. 

But when you were lucid, you never told me how much you missed me. That was always reserved for those moments when the slate would be partially wiped clean. You’d look at me. You’d say, ‘You came back.’ And I would realize, once again, how much we meant to each other, all those years ago. 

I just want to say that I’m truly sorry, for all that time you spent waiting for me. I know, now, what that’s like. I guess we’ll both always be waiting for each other. It’s just the hand we’ve been dealt. And, as much as I want to hold onto you, I know that’s not what you would’ve wanted. I know it’s not what I wanted for you, when I died. I remember thinking, in those last moments before I went into the ice, that the best thing that could happen would be for you to forget all about me. 

In a way, maybe that’s true. You would’ve been better off, certainly. It’ll always break my heart when I think of how long you waited for me, even if you didn’t always know you were waiting. You were a strong woman, and you didn’t need me in your life to do amazing things. That’s obvious to me. 

But, I think I know and you knew that you were always, always waiting. I have a lot I still want to say to you. Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet again someday. Until then, all I can do is hope for that day when I get to say to you what you’ve always said to me. You came back.”


	11. "Take your shirt off and put your hands up against the wall" prompt

“Are you wearing a wire?!”  Peggy looked up from her book to see Steve standing over her with his arms crossed, trying to look serious.

“Um, what?”  

“I said, _are you wearing a wire?_ ”  She could see a little smile forming at the corner of his lips.  Peggy rolled her eyes and put down her book.

“Steve, for the last time.  We’re in our house, and just because you’re an official SSR agent doesn’t mean–”

“Ma’am, I’m gonna need you to take your shirt off and put your hands up against the wall, please,” Steve dictated sharply.  She sighed and decided to indulge him.  Since the war had ended a few months earlier, Steve had been absolutely ecstatic about becoming an official SSR agent.  Getting his badge, getting to wear a suit to work that wasn’t inspired by the American flag.  He loved it.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, standing up.  She untucked her shirt and slowly began to unbutton it as Steve watched, his arms still crossed.

“Against the wall,” he said, all traces of joking gone from his voice.  Peggy backed up as she undid the final button and dropped the white shirt to the floor.  She went to turn around and place her hands on the wall, but Steve stopped her.  He pushed her back up against it slowly and kissed her hard, pinning her hands to the wall with his own.

“Now, tell me who you’re working for,” he mumbled against her lips, letting her hands loose.  Peggy reached for his belt, pulling his hips closer as she undid the buckle.

“I work for you,” she whispered, pulling the belt out of its loops.  Steve backed up and looked her in the eyes.  His were filled with desire.

“Then prove it.”  So she did.


	12. In My Life

Peggy had never sought out domesticity.  When she was in her 20′s, she sometimes entertained the idea of having a family, but it always seemed far away.  When she first founded SHIELD, even though she was already married, Peggy put off having kids further still.  Being in a dangerous field and having a family did not mix well.  Her first pregnancy was a surprise, and she couldn’t help but feel that she hadn’t found domesticity.  It had found her.  

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in 1965, and Peggy was folding her childrens’ laundry.  The radio played softly in the corner, and she felt herself drifting deeper into her thoughts as the rhythm of folding clothes and good music soothed her.  Her work was less high-risk these days, and she found herself thinking of her agents as she stood there, turning in the pockets on a pair of small pants.

Peggy reached over and turned up the radio.  The Beatles were on, and she loved The Beatles.  British, like her.  It was a new song of theirs, and she found herself listening to the lyrics closely as it came on.

_With lovers and friends I still can recall  
Some are dead and some are living_

It almost reminded her of…

Suddenly Peggy was thrust forward, hit like a brick with her own grief.  She had thought of Steve only for a second, but as the song played, the full power of that memory hit her head on.  She gripped a white sheet that she had been folding to her chest and listened.  It had been 20 years since Steve died. 

_But of all these friends and lovers  
There is no one compares with you_

Tears pricked her eyes as memories came flooding through her, completely unstoppable.  Peggy saw all their time together like a slideshow, quick from one moment to the next.  She felt herself crumple to the ground as she remembered that final moment.  The radio silence.  The picture of him she still had hidden away somewhere.

_In my life I love you more_

Peggy could almost hear his voice, speaking softly to her, never raised.  His gentle but strong hands.  In the balled up sheet that she now held to her face, Peggy swore there was the smallest hint of how Steve used to smell.  The leather, the sweet aftershave, the gunpowder and dirt and smoke that never washed away during the war.

 _For people and things that went before_  
I know I’ll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more

_In my life I love you more_

As the song faded out, Peggy closed her eyes.  She was sitting on the floor, weeping into a sheet over a love she had lost 20 years ago.

“Mommy?” It was her youngest daughter.  Peggy looked up slowly and tried to smile.  “Why are you crying, Mommy?”

“Don’t worry about me, love.  Sometimes mommies just have to cry,” Peggy said shakily, standing up and resuming the laundry.  Her daughter bounded away, burdened not by the pain Peggy had just faced.  

She fought the urge to clutch her chest as her heart broke in two for the millionth time since Steve’s death.  One piece for him, and one for Daniel.  Always the bigger for Steve.


	13. "Take it off."

“What are you doing?” 

Peggy looked over at Steve, who was standing in the doorway of the hotel bathroom.  She felt herself blush as he stared at her.  She was still wearing her wedding dress, twirling around like a child in front of the mirror.

“I just like the way it looks,” she replied.  It was nearly 2 am on their wedding night, and she still hadn’t changed out of the poofy white dress.  As soon as they had left the ceremony, Steve had removed his tux, complaining about an itchy collar.  He wore only boxers as he came in next to her and began to brush his teeth.  Peggy looked at them together in the mirror.

“You know, you’re gonna have to take it off sometime,” Steve mumbled, his mouth filled with toothpaste.  Peggy wasn’t usually one for beautiful dresses and makeup and feeling like a princess, but this was her wedding night.  And she wanted to make the feeling last.

“I don’t think so,” she smiled at him in the mirror as he rinsed out his mouth.

“Peggy, I’m going to give you one more chance to take it off before I come over there and rip that dress off myself,” Steve said matter-of-factly.  She turned to look at him, temporarily lost for words.  He grabbed her and kissed her hard, his fingers playing around the tight bodice of the beautiful dress.

“Okay, okay,” Peggy gasped as they broke away, pulling the bow loose at the back and reaching for the zipper.  “You’re going to have to do this part.” She turned around and held her hair as Steve reached up and pulled the zipper, his fingers electrifying her where they touched her bare skin.  Peggy removed her arms from the sleeves and dropped the dress on the bathroom floor, stepping out of it carefully.

“Finally,” Steve breathed.  Peggy went to pick up the dress, but Steve was quicker.  He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bed, laying her down slowly on the fresh white sheets.  He came up on top of her and kissed her as his hands travelled down her body, electricity sizzling between them.

“I have the most beautiful wife in the world,” he murmured against her lips.  Peggy laughed and pulled him closer.


	14. "I'm pregnant."

It was raining.  That was what Peggy remembered most about that day.  It was late in January of 1945, and she remembered thinking that if the rain could sweep all this dirt away and make it clean again, maybe it could do the same for her.  

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time after deciding to tell Steve.  She didn’t look any different.  Didn’t really feel any different, besides the constant nausea.  She ran her hands over her abdomen twice, willing herself to feel some sort of bump.  The end of the war was surely nearing; ever since the death of Schmidt it was clear that the Germans couldn’t afford to go on much longer.  But, still.  As soon as she began showing, she’d be kicked out.  Dishonorable discharge.  

She ran the cold water and soaked her face, trying to stem the inevitable waves of nausea.  Peggy took a deep breath, reapplied her lipstick, and walked out of the bathroom.  The entire camp was bustling with activity, as it so often was these days.  She knew Steve was probably in the strategy tent, but she checked for him in other places first.  If only to make time go slower.  

When she finally came upon the strategy tent, much to her surprise, he was in there by himself, staring at the map of the world.  When she walked in, he turned to look at her and his face dissolved into a silly smile.  Peggy felt ill.  

“It seems so small sometimes, doesn’t it?” He asked as she came in.  She walked up next to him, and he slung his arm around her.  This was easy.  This was right.  But then why did she feel so afraid?  Steve looked down at her, and didn’t say anything for a time.  Peggy felt tears prick behind her eyes.   _No.  Not now.  Please, no._

“Steve,” she heard herself say before falling against him, crying into his shoulder.  He wrapped his arms around her slowly, then drew back to look at her.

“Peggy?  What’s wrong?  What happened?”  She couldn’t get herself to look at him.  Steve’s fingers came up under her chin slowly and pushed it up so she was looking at him.  She wiped her tears away and took a shaky breath.

“Something… bad.  Has happened,” Peggy whispered.  Steve ushered her into a smaller tent off the main one and closed the flap behind them, so they were alone.  Or mostly alone.  He sat her down in a chair, and then pulled one up so they were facing one another.

“Tell me what it is.” He was stern with her now.  Probably very worried.

“Well, it’s just that…  I’m late.  I’m a week late, Steve,” Peggy said slowly.

“What does that mean?” He asked, straightening up in his chair slightly.

“It means I’m pregnant.”  She chanced a look at him now, and immediately wished she hadn’t.  His face was extremely pale, and he swallowed visibly before saying anything.

“But…  How could… I mean…  Peggy, please.  There has to be a mistake here.  We’re always careful,” Steve stammered.  He kept looking behind him, just in case someone else walked in.  What they had going here was extremely off limits.  Just about as off limits as it got. 

“Steve, I think I know my own body.  And it’s not just that I’m late.  I’ve been feeling ill, having strange dreams,” Peggy whispered, now paranoid that someone would come barging in as well.  Steve reached for her hands and held them.

“Peggy, if there’s something I did wrong here…  If I forgot to do something I should’ve done, I’m sorry.  I swear it was an accident.  I mean, this could be the end of your career,” he whispered back.  His face was filled with worry, and it almost made Peggy smile.  She reached up and smoothed the worried crease between his eyebrows.

“I know.  And there’s nothing you could’ve done differently.  We just got unlucky, I suppose,” Peggy said.  This seemed to worry him even more.  

“How long do you think until…  until you start showing?” The words sounded strange in his mouth as he tested them out for the first time.  It almost made Peggy want to cry.  How in any other circumstances this might be wonderful and exciting instead of terrible and frightening.

“A while.  At least three months, I’m guessing.  Until then, no one needs to know.  But the minute people start finding out about this…” she trailed off, looking down at their hands woven together.  She caught herself already wondering if it would be a boy or a girl.  If it would be some level of super, like Steve…

“Are you going to keep it?  I mean, are we going to?  Are we doing this?” Peggy looked up at him, and relief washed over her.  He looked hopeful.  Scared, mostly, but also hopeful.  And maybe even happy.  

She nodded, and Steve laughed, tears in his eyes.  He wrapped her in a tight hug, then pulled her onto his lap.

“I love you,” Steve whispered, then kissed her softly.  His hands fluttered softly around her abdomen, as though the tiny bundle of cells growing inside her was delicate as a flower.

* * *

Four months later, the war officially ended.  Peggy had been on what she only chose to disclose as “extended leave” for a little over a month.  Towards the end of March, people started to notice that she never drank anymore.  And when Dugan jokingly asked her if she’d had one too many biscuits at breakfast, she punched him and decided to apply for leave.  It hadn’t really mattered at that point, anyway, because they were so close to winning.  But she had to go to New York, and find a place, and be without Steve for as long as it took.

It was May 8th.  Victory in Europe Day, as they were calling it.  Peggy had the radio on in the tiny apartment she’d found, but she didn’t feel like walking in the streets and celebrating with the rest of the world.  It felt sad and empty without Steve.  Plus, she was too tired and pregnant for that.  The phone rang, and she got up to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Peggy!  Oh, Peggy, did you hear?  We won!  I can come home!” It was Steve.  Wherever he was, it was very loud.  She couldn’t help herself from smiling.

“Yes, I heard, my darling.  When can you get here?” She leaned up against the wall, twirling the cord around her finger.  She really missed him.

“I wanna meet you somewhere tonight, Peg.  To celebrate properly!” He nearly yelled into the phone.

“Alright.  Where?”

“How about the Stork Club?  8 o’clock, on the dot.  Don’t you dare be late,” Steve said.  Peggy agreed and they hung up.  She highly doubted that they would even be able to get into a dancing club tonight, but she didn’t care.  She hadn’t seen Steve in a month and a half, because they’d both agreed that for him to visit her or take time off as well would only create suspicion.  

Peggy didn’t feel very beautiful these days.  She was nearly 4 months pregnant, which just meant that she felt ill and bloated all the time.  But this was a special day, and she was determined to make it so.  She picked out a loose-fitting dress and a pair of comfy flats.  She even did up her hair and makeup and allowed herself to get excited.  

Finally, it was 7:30.  She went out and hailed a cab.  There were a lot more people on the street than usual, and on the way to the club, Peggy saw fireworks lighting up the sky.  It was lovely.  When she reached the Stork Club, she paid the cabbie and struggled to get out.  There wasn’t the usual bustle outside, which she though strange.  Standing at the door, though, was Steve in his uniform.  He looked beautiful and happy.  

“Peggy!” He called as she got out, and ran up to her.  He enveloped her in a tight hug, then kissed her passionately right there on the sidewalk.  “God, I am so happy to see you.  Let’s go in.” 

As they walked in, Peggy began to sense that something was different.  The only people in the place seemed to be the Howling Commandos.  And they weren’t drinking.  They were all staring at her and Steve as they walked in.  The band was playing a slow song, and Peggy felt herself blush as she remembered her pregnant belly, which everyone was seeing.

“Steve, all these people are going to know I’m pregnant,” she said to him.  He looked down at her and smiled.

“It’s alright.  Want to dance?” He asked, and she nodded.  They danced slowly, spinning on the empty floor together.  Steve smelled good and felt solid, and Peggy didn’t even mind that everyone seemed to be watching them.  As the song drifted to a close,  Steve motioned for someone behind her.  

Bucky and Dugan came up with a chair and motioned for her to sit.  She did, looking to Steve for an explanation.  He cleared his throat and slowly went down on one knee.  Peggy’s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat.  Steve smiled at her, and she felt tears in her eyes.  

“Margaret Elizabeth Carter, my best girl.  I love you more than anything in the world, and I can’t wait to meet our baby.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  So, will you marry me?” He asked, taking out a small, black velvet box and popping it open to reveal a diamond ring.

“Oh, Steve, yes.  Yes, I’ll marry you,” Peggy said, tears rolling down her face.  The band picked up a happy song, and the Commandos cheered as Steve slipped the ring on her finger.  

Their baby girl was born on October 1, 1945.  They were married exactly a year after their engagement, on VE Day, 1946. 


	15. “If you keep looking at me like that we won’t make it to a bed.” (VERY smutty)

They were on their way home after a long day of work at the SSR.  Steve was tired, but Peggy wouldn’t have it.  As they drove through the city, she teased him by hiking up her skirt so it only came halfway down her thighs.  She left her legs uncrossed, and had to remind Steve to look at the road at least three times.  When they got to their building, he was already quite antsy.  They stepped into the elevator and were, thankfully, alone.  Peggy stood across from Steve with her arms crossed, watching him punch the 8 button and wait for the doors to close.  As soon as they did, he spoke for the first time since they had gotten out of the car.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it to the bed,” He murmured.  The numbers on the elevator seemed to tick even slower as they waited.  5…  6….  7….  8.

Steve wasted no time.  As soon as they reached their floor, he picked Peggy up and practically ran to their apartment.  When they got there, it was clean and quiet.  The cool darkness came over them like a sheet as Steve lay Peggy down on the bed slowly.

“Peggy Carter, you have been a very naughty girl,” he whispered in her ear as he reached up her skirt.

“Have I?” Peggy gasped a little as Steve’s hands expertly found their mark.  She arched her back as he slid two fingers into her.  It was infuriating, because she knew he was just teasing.  As her muscles tensed and she gripped the bedsheets, Steve withdrew his fingers slowly and stood up in front of her.  Peggy was breathing heavily, and her face was hot. 

“You have.” He took off his shirt and belt, pausing before taking off his pants.  Peggy used this opportunity to take off her own clothes, until she was lying completely naked on the bed.  Steve had left her extremely hot and bothered.  She reached for his zipper, slowly pulling it down and purposely rubbing her hands over his hard cock.  She could feel him getting more excited, and she smiled.

“You don’t have all the power here, Rogers,” she said as he stepped out of his pants and came closer.  Finally, he pulled down his underwear.  Peggy knew she was in control now.

“I want you.  Now,” Steve growled, pushing her down lightly so she landed on her back on the bed.  Peggy smiled and sat up again, shaking her head.  

Steve stood at the foot of the bed, so Peggy scooted up until she was sitting directly in front of him.  She took him into her mouth slowly, listening to him sigh as she worked her mouth over his dick.  Steve swept her hair out of her face and held it, tugging slightly so she was looking up at him as she sucked.  After a few minutes of this, Peggy removed herself from him as it became obvious that he was getting close to coming.  She scooted back up on the bed and he followed, crawling up in front of her and nudging her legs open with his hands.

“Now you can have me,” Peggy said.  Steve needed no further instructions.  He put it in slowly, making her gasp.  She was always shocked by how big he was.  As they picked up speed, Peggy could already feel herself coming closer to orgasm.  She arched her back off the bed, and Steve pulled her up, switching them in position quickly so she was on top.  She came during the transition, her entire body tensing as she cried out.  Steve was not far behind as Peggy rode him, and minutes later she felt him about to come.

“Oh, Peggy!” He shouted as he came, holding her hips so hard she thought she might get bruises.  After, they lay in bed together, naked and tired from their adventures.

“Aren’t you glad we made it to the bed?” Peggy mumbled.  Steve laughed and hugged her closer.  He kissed her neck softly, making goosebumps rise on her skin.

“Mmm, no.  Next time I’ll have to take you in the elevator,” he whispered back.


	16. S.H.I.E.L.D.

Peggy and Howard met in the early morning, a few hours before they were set to meet with the president. The SSR wasn’t failing, per se, but it was losing its functionality. America was well into a time of peace, which meant that a wartime operation had no real business running internal affairs. 

Howard Stark had convinced a few of his higher-up friends to get him a meeting with the president regarding a new, stronger operation to replace the SSR. It would serve as a comprehensive line of defense, useful in times of both war and peace. 

He had called Peggy a week ago to discuss it with her because, although he was a genius in many ways, he had no idea how to run a government defense operation by himself. Plus, it just made sense for them to work together, and her constant complaints about the faults of the SSR had led him to the idea in the first place. Her flight got in at 8, and Howard sent a car. 

Peggy was nervous. She had done a great many things in her lifetime, but meeting the president was not one of them. After she got settled in her room at Howard’s place, they sat down together at the dining room table. Howard had a thick notebook in front of him, which was covered in scribbles and incoherent math equations.

“Tea?” Jarvis entered, carrying a tray. Howard and Peggy thanked him, and he left. He had been quite clear about not wanting to be a part of this operation. Since Ana’s incident, Jarvis was keen on safety, and had all but returned to his role as a functioning butler and nothing else.

“Alright, Peggy. So, here’s what we’re going to be discussing with the president today,” Howard began, flipping the pages of his notebook madly to find what he was looking for. “Uh, objectives of the operation. Yes… Absorbing the SSR. Startup costs, secrecy, what else…” He began flipping through the notebook again, and something caught Peggy’s eye.

“What’s that?” She pointed to a page, but Howard flipped past it quickly. She kept her finger planted firmly on the drawing. “Howard.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“It’s just an idea I had. I mean, we still haven’t come up with a name,” he replied, slowly opening his notebook to the page she had her finger on. It was exactly what she thought it was. Steve’s shield. Under it, incomprehensible scribbles, most of them crossed out or partially erased so they were impossible to read.

“What does Steve have to do with that?” Peggy felt her chest tighten when she said his name. 

It had literally been years, but still she missed him. The dull ache sat right under her sternum, worse sometimes than others. She and Howard rarely talked about him, because Peggy didn’t like to, but Steve remained one thing only the two of them had in common. Sometimes it was inevitable to be reminded of him when they were together.

“I’ve just been playing with a couple names for the organization. Nothing too flashy. Not like we’d call it Rogers’ Scientific Reserve or anything, but just a subtle nod to him…” Howard trailed off. They were both looking at the drawing of the shield.

“What, then?”

“Well, nothing’s set in stone here, but I came up with one. Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Or–”

“S.H.I.E.L.D,” Peggy murmured, running her fingers over the drawing.

“Yeah.”

They sat in silence for a time, brooding over this. Peggy felt herself tearing up a bit at the thought of Steve being immortalized through something she had created. It made sense. She could almost see him standing there with it on his arm. Hear the natural vibrations of the shield, the sound of his voice… 

Howard was first to speak, drawing her out of her thoughts.

“I just feel like… I owe him something. And this is something we can do,” he said. Peggy nodded with a lump in her throat, not quite sure she could trust herself to speak. Even after all these years.

“I miss him,” she finally said, shocked by the truth of it. A single tear dropped on the paper in front of her, blurring the star of the shield.

“Me too,” Howard replied. He took out a pen and circled the acronym, which was hidden amongst other scribbles on the page. Peggy smiled. Steve would’ve loved it.


	17. "Kiss Me"

It was the same as it always was. Peggy was standing in a huge open field. Off in the distance, she could see the New York City skyline. The sun was sinking below the horizon, and the glittering lights of the city were brilliant against the darkening purple sky.

As the first firework popped off in the distance, Peggy turned around. Steve was there, sitting on a picnic blanket. He was wearing his old war uniform and lighting a candle. When she looked at him, he smiled. Peggy’s heart sank. She knew how this went. More fireworks exploded and shimmered in the sky; red, white, and blue sparks rained down together.

“Come sit,” Steve said softly, pouring two flutes of champagne. Peggy walked over and sat next to him. She accepted the glass but did not drink from it. They were silent for a while, just watching the fireworks as night fell. 

“How are things?” He whispered, brushing her hair out of the way so he could kiss her bare shoulder. Peggy closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his skin on hers.

“You’re not real,” she managed to get out. He drew back to look at her and smiled a little, like she was joking.

“I am real, Peggy. It’s my birthday. The war is over,” he replied, clinking his glass against hers and drinking from it again. She knew he would say that. It was always the same. The boom of the fireworks was getting louder as she turned to face him.

“You’re dead, Steve.”

He looked so hurt, she almost wanted to take it back. The fireworks were almost directly above their heads now. Steve’s face lit up blue and red as he finished his champagne. Peggy knew what happened next.

“Kiss me,” Steve said. She leaned in obediently, the sound of fireworks as loud as gunshots now. Their lips barely touched as the loudest bang yet woke her with a start.

Peggy sat up in bed. She was covered in sweat. Daniel slept beside her, completely undisturbed. She moved out from under the covers slowly and walked into the kitchen. It was a little past 4 am.

The first gray light of morning was seeping through the windows as Peggy sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the coffee to brew. She fiddled with her ring, spinning it round and round on her finger, completely lost in thought. 

It was July 4th, 1956. She had been having the same dream on Steve’s birthday for the past 10 years.


End file.
